


The Only Thing That's Breaking Up

by falsettosland



Category: Falsettos - Lapine/Finn
Genre: After whizzers death, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Compliant, F/F, F/M, HIV/AIDS, M/M, Sad with a Happy Ending, Self-Harm, Suicide Attempt, its kinda explicit I'm so sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-19
Updated: 2017-09-19
Packaged: 2018-12-31 03:51:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12123918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/falsettosland/pseuds/falsettosland
Summary: The only thing that's breaking up is Jason's family. Marvin has given up. Trina can't even look at her son. Mendel doesn't joke or smile. Charlotte can't work. Cordelia stopped cooking. Jason has to hold onto the ground as everything is changing around him.





	The Only Thing That's Breaking Up

**Author's Note:**

> Oh my gosh...I cried so much writing this. At first it was just going to be short and sad, but then I decided to make it longer and make put a little unexpected event in. Hope you like it!!

They thought he just passed out, but he didn't wake up. When Marvin saw the end of the tunnel, he ended up in Mendel's arms, during a therapy appointment. No one expected it to happen that soon, he wasn't showing any severe signs yet. Charlotte had given him numerous antibiotics to help the symptoms, but when she and Cordelia went through his apartment after, they found the bottles untouched in his medicine cabinet. The doctor threw a bottle on the ground out of frustration, he was stubborn up to his last breath. He just wanted to be with his lover.  
—  
Trina's hands shook as she fixed Jason's shirt collar, avoiding eye contact. She hugged her son, starting to sob on his shoulder, having to be pulled away by Mendel. The psychiatrist was quiet, sparing a second to give Jason a weak smile and a comforting hand on his shoulder.  
The funeral was open casket, and everyone wished it wasn't. A few of Marvin's cousins sat with the tight knit family, despite not knowing them very well, they bonded over the loss. The room was silent between speakers, only the sound of quiet sobs and soft sniffles could be heard.  
Trina told a story of when Marvin tried to teach Jason how to play baseball but failed, how he tried his hardest and never admitted he couldn't do anything. Two of his cousins went up together and relived the story of when they went snowboarding together and he stopped them from running into a tree. Charlotte tried to tell a memory, but broke down and had to sit back down. Cordelia told the story how she and Marvin first met, he was her unofficial taste tester. Mendel didn't speak, he just sat with an arm around Jason. Marvin's son didn't say anything the entire funeral, he just sat there, like he didn't know where he was. Trina said he didn't need to go up to the casket, but he did anyway. No one but Mendel saw him put a chess piece that looked like the queen in his father's hand.  
—  
Jason volunteered to go with Cordelia to clean up Marvin and Whizzer's apartment, mostly because he couldn't stand to see the look on his mother's face. He knew she needed him, she was worse than during the divorce. She spends most of her time in her room, Mendel running in and out, only giving the 13 year old worried looks but nothing more.  
—  
"I think it's funny it's obvious which clothes are Whizzer's, I don't think he has a single t-shirt." Cordelia laughed lightly, trying to ease the tension. Her smiled faded as soon as she saw the expression on Jason's face. His face was blank, she couldn't decipher how he felt. He's been like this for weeks, barely saying anything.  
"A box of pictures, do you want to see them?" She pulled out a box, setting it next to him on the bed. He nodded, reaching for the box, but she slammed her hand on it before he could open it.  
"Wait! I need to go through it quickly, there might be some _'not safe for work'_ stuff in here." She chuckled, pulling the box towards her, flipping through them quickly, collecting a few as she went through.  
"Well that's a pose I never thought I'd see your father in." Cordelia giggled, looking up at Jason, as she pushed the box back towards him. He stared at her, his expression unchanged.  
Jason ignored her as he went through the box, staring at each for a few seconds.  
_Marvin was laughing, he appeared to be on a racquetball court.  
Marvin was in a suit. "He cleans up well  <3," read the caption.  
Jason was holding a bat, smiling brightly at the camera. The caption under said: "As if he were my son." _  
Jason threw the pictures back in the box, staring at the bedspread underneath him. It was some odd pattern of gray and yellow stripes, probably Whizzer's choice.  
He wandered around his fathers' bedroom. Was it okay to call Whizzer his dad? I mean, he technically was, even if his father and his lover weren't married. They couldn't get married anyways.  
He found himself opening one of the nightstand drawers, looking through it. There were a few more pictures, along with a belt and a small box. The boy picked up the small box, it looked like a ring box. But why would either of them have a ring box?  
Jason opened it, his chest tightening as he looked at the simple gold band standing out against the black velvet. He stood frozen in shook, Cordelia noticing immediately.  
"Jason? Jason, what's wrong? What did you find?" She put a hand on his shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts.  
"Oh my god...this was Whizzer's side of the bed...h-he—" She grabbed the ring box, shutting it, holding it to her chest. Cordelia dropped to her knees, still holding onto the box, like her life depended on it. She started to sob and uncontrollably shake, muttering something that sounded like _"Screw Reagan."_  
—  
Jason sat on the sofa, watching Cordelia cook as they both waited for Charlotte to get home. The caterer couldn't focus, constantly putting her head onto her hands, sighing heavily. She rushed to greet her lover, who looked terrible. Her eye makeup was smudged, and her eyes were puffy and red. The moment she saw Jason, she let out a sob, reaching for him. Cordelia let go so the doctor could hug Jason. Charlotte hugged him tightly, her body shaking as she cried.  
"I can't do it anymore...I can't! More and more men are coming in with the disease!" She yelled.  
"The dad killer..." Jason muttered, pulling away so Cordelia could comfort her lover.  
"Yes, the dad killer." She sniffled, taking the boy's hand.  
—  
There was screaming. There was blood. Jason stood in the center of it all. His mother laid on the ground, unconscious. His stepfather leaned over her, his hands bloody as he screamed for Charlotte. Cordelia shook as she spoke on the phone.  
That night, when Cordelia and Charlotte dropped Jason off, Mendel rushed to them, in the middle of an anxiety attack, stuttering about Trina and threats. Jason forced himself past the psychiatrist and saw his mother do it. She was trembling, a kitchen knife pressed against her wrist. He wanted to stop her, but it was all moving too fast.  
—  
Trina was in the hospital for three days now, under Charlotte's care. Mendel was staying at work later, so Cordelia watched Jason.  
"Jason."  
"Hm?" He picked up his head.  
"If you ever want to want to talk about how you feel, I'm always here. Everything's been so—"  
"Shitty." Jason cut her off, avoiding eye contact.  
"Are you sure you're allowed to use that language?"  
"I'm apparently a man now. And with everything that's going on, I think I have a pass."  
"Fair enough." Cordelia sighed. There were a few minutes of silence, neither knowing what to say. She had just gotten Jason to actually talk, and now he was shutting down again.  
"Is my mom going to be better?"  
"Of course."  
"Last time someone said that to me, I lost two people from my family."  
She held back tears, he's gone through so much crap for a 13 year old. And now his mother tried to kill herself. He felt alone. He was scared.  
—  
Jason sat on the edge of his bed, looking up at his ceiling.  
"God...why are you doing this? You took Whizzer, who was supposed to be my third dad. Then you took my dad. Now you're trying to take my mom. Why? Are you even up there? Can you even hear me? I asked you to make Whizzer better...and you didn't."  
Mendel appeared at his doorway, opening it just a crack to listen, but not disturb him.  
"Please, please, with everything I have left, help my mom. She's all I have. I can't lose anyone else. Please, God. I'm begging you." Jason started to cry, giving Mendel his cue to cone in. His stepfather sat next to him, embracing him.  
"Dad..."  
"I know you miss him—"  
"No, I'm calling you dad."  
"You're calling me dad?" Mendel was surprised, looking at his expression to see if it was some joke.  
"Well, you _are_ my stepdad."  
"Your mother is better, we can see her tomorrow if you're up for it."  
"Thank you."  
Mendel stood up to leave, but Jason grabbed his wrist before he could get far.  
"I know I'm not a little kid...but can you sleep in here with me."  
"I'd love to."  
Mendel crawled into bed next to his stepson, who immediately curled up in against his chest. For the first time in months, he was crying happy tears.  
—  
Jason held onto Mendel's arm as they walked through the hospital. It seemed to be three times as busy than when Whizzer was sick. He avoided eye contact with almost everyone around him, especially the men with sunken in faces and pale complexions, he knew what they had. So many people here had it, and Jason knew they'd all die soon. The government doesn't care about them. Innocent people are dying because of homophobia and ignorance—  
"Jason!"  
He didn't realize they had reached their destination until he heard his mother's voice. She was in normal clothes, folding a hospital gown. She wore long sleeves, yet he could see large bandages poking out from under them. She still looked terrible, but looked happy she could see her son.  
He let go of Mendel and ran into her arms, squeezing her as tightly as he could. She kneeled down so she could be at his level, taking his face in her hands.  
"My strong boy...you're so much like your father. He would be so proud how strong you've been." Trina teared up, kissing his forehead quickly.  
"Mom...please don't do that again."  
"We're trying to avoid this in the future." She gave a weak smile, glancing up at her husband, who put a hand on her shoulder.  
"Can we all have dinner together?"  
"Of course."  
"All of us, Charlotte and Cordelia too."  
"Absolutely. Anything for you, darling."  
—  
As they drove home, Jason stared out the window, thinking about his dads. He wasn't sure what he felt. He felt so many things right now. Sadness? Of course. Regret? Yes. Loneliness? Unfortunately. Comforted? That as well. Anger? It was the strongest of them all.  
Something on the side of a building caught his eye, causing him to yell.  
"Stop the car!"  
Mendel slammed on the breaks, panicked, as Jason threw open the car door and bolted.  
"Jason! Where are you going?!" Trina got out of the car with Mendel, trying to run after Jason.  
The 13 year old looked up at the Ronald Reagan poster hung before him. He was angry. He was angry at the president. He was angry homophobia was so strong in this country. He stared to pull on sides of it, tearing it.  
He was angry a disease that's being completely ignored killed two of his dads. Whizzer Brown. He was supposed to be his dad. But he couldn't legally. He could never legally be his dad like Mendel was to him. Him and Marvin could never get married.  
Most of the poster was gone now, and Jason didn't realize he was crying. Because of this man, his father and his lover were just one of the thousands or more that died, forgotten.  
_History better remember what this man did_ , he thought to himself, pulling the rest of the poster down, stomping on the shredded pieces.  
He looked back to the street, where his mother and stepfather were watching him. They didn't look mad. They looked...proud?


End file.
